Please keep Uptown sidewalks clear of ice

Dear Editor: Last Thursday was cold but sunny, and I had Christmas packages to mail, so I decided to walk three blocks to the Uptown Post Office on Main Street. The weekend storm was long gone, and the streets were clear and dry. The sidewalks were another story.

Walking on Uptown’s (mostly) bluestone sidewalks requires care in any weather. But winter walking moves the caution needle from “care” to “danger,” as many of the sidewalks sit untended for days after a storm. Having seen nary a shovel, blower, or grain of salt, many turn into icy obstacle courses. Particularly treacherous are the brick sidewalks that develop an invisible icy cover that becomes a launching pad.

Kingston has an ordinance regarding snow and ice removal from sidewalks. It can be found under “Maintenance” in the Sidewalk section of the City of Kingston Code (358-10). To quote (in part): “[Owners and occupants] at times during the season of frost and snow … shall keep the sidewalk and gutters in front of their respective properties free from snow and ice whenever the same can be kept free of the same.” If weather makes clearing impossible, sidewalks are to “be kept strewn with ashes, sand or other materials” so that people can walk safely. The ordinance gives people 12 hours from the conclusion of a storm to clear the walks.

The city is doing its best to encourage walking and biking for residents and visitors. We can all do our part. Dr. Bruno F. Battistoli,

Kingston, N.Y.